EDITORIAL – Sen. Craig does not deserve Hall of Fame

The nonprofit Idaho Hall of Fame Association claims, on its website, to be dedicated to… The nonprofit Idaho Hall of Fame Association claims, on its website, to be dedicated to saluting the best of Idaho’s best, the cream of the Idahoan potato crop, if you will.

These people are “Idahoans on loan to the world,” the association proudly proclaims, “men and women of Idaho [who] have made an impact on their communities, their state, the nation and in many cases, the world.”

That’s why the Idaho Hall of Fame Association’s decision to induct Republican Sen. Larry Craig almost makes sense. The senator made an “impact” on his state and nation, to be sure – it’s just that the impact wasn’t exactly a positive one.

Right now, the senator’s publicized arrest and guilty plea to disorderly conduct in an airport bathroom sex sting is probably what he is famous for. He is currently, and most likely will continue to be for some time, most recognized for soliciting sex in a men’s bathroom.

“At the time it [the induction] was considered, this other matter had not come up,” Harry Magnuson, board director of the hall of fame, told Idaho’s Spokesman-Review newspaper.

Well, whether the Idaho Hall of Fame Association wants to accept it or not, the legacy Craig will leave behind is, in fact, that “other matter” – not exactly the kind of legacy that deserves recognition or praise.

And, yet, not only has the association chosen to induct Craig despite all this, it also seems to be doing its best to ignore it. Senator Craig was chosen for induction because his “30 years of exemplary political service to the State of Idaho and the Country speaks for itself,” the website reads.

The only thing is, Craig’s service was anything but “exemplary.” One of the most prominent aspects of the senator’s career was limiting the rights of homosexuals.

In other words, by continuously voting against same-sex marriage, against expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation and against prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation, Craig made a career of being a hypocrite.

How hypocritical? Aside from the latest bathroom sex sting, Craig was involved in a 1982 congressional page scandal, in which he vehemently denied allegations that he had sex with underage pages. According to the Idaho Statesman, Craig was also accused of “cruising” a man for sex in 1994 at a store in Boise.

How embarrassing for Idaho, for Republicans in general, in fact, to have one of their most infamous senators be praised as a “star” on the association’s website and soon at the Oct. 13 induction ceremony. No matter how desperate the Idaho Hall of Fame Association must have been, there has to be someone more worthy of induction into the hall of fame than a senator involved in one of the biggest sex scandals of the year. We challenge the Idaho Hall of Fame Association to find that person.

And if it’s any help, we’re sure that there are thousands of other potato farmers who would be much more deserving of a nomination.